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Hi there, I'm in the process of a wee project in our house. We are thinking of moving the kitchen into the dining area, removing a non-load bearing wall, dropping windows down to the ground. Getting a bit frazzled by it all....hoping for ideas, support and experience from members of this forum

I am feeling a bit chuffed, removing render from the out side of my house I found two very rotted out external wall leaf wooden lintels, age god knows, as below. These needed to be replaced, given I have a bit of time on my hands I decided to DIY it, so got some lintels, cavity trays and a strong boy from jewsons this morning, and gave it a go. Main thing was the house didn't fall down, but I actually got it all done in a day in the sun. Pretty happy with the results, though the brick work is appalling!!! Not sure what the going rate is for lintel replacement, but feels like I have saved a fair chunk of money.

Agreed, but the OP mentions high'er' DHW so am addressing the answers as per the OP's needs. UVC's and SA's both have 22mm inlets / outlets, so putting a 15mm 'restriction' inline is converse to my thinking.

Because I’m a clever fooker Been there got the t shirt bud. Sprayed a few houses in oz. always back roll. You get a hairline crack you cannot just grab the roller and give it a quick run over, as it will show up like dogs balls.

Then I shall be damned !

How do you know that Russ? ?

I’m a big boy - I’ll risk a perfect texture that never needs touching up

The flush tube is catching on something. Turn the isolator valve off. Reach in and turn the white tube and it’s mechanism 1/4 turn anti-clockwise. It will then come up and out in your hand. Check the mechanism and the washer and then refit it - it will click into place. Refit the flush mechanism and retry it.

This site is out of date (Oct 2019) but it's the best/only one I know for comparing the cost of different fuels. https://nottenergy.com/resources/energy-cost-comparison/ See "Pence per kWh (after boiler efficiency)" column in the table. Note that electricity is (was) 4-5 times the cost of mains gas per kWh unless you use an ASHP or take advantage of a off peak electricity deal of some sort. That's the appeal of storage heaters compared to regular panel heaters.

I'm so sorry I didn't see this post earlier. Thank you so much! I will certainly read through and enjoy it I'm sure. Have a great day. Sarah

Traditionally, concrete around steel provides an alkaline, protective environment. Over the years CO2 and moisture seep seep in and turn it acidic. There's some weird reactions set up, with silica in the various aggregates used, that accelerate the rusting of the steel, which expands and can crack the concrete. There's various coating that can be applied from Thompsons Water Seal to Sika FerroGard. The later is used extensively to protect historic concrete structures. Similar has been used to save some of the 1930s art deco buildings.

Just checking you are aware of the VAT issue if you let them out... https://www.isurv.com/info/390/features/11494/taxation_vat_costs_of_building_to_rent I think the solution is to sell the development to another company you own which then lets them out but best seek advice.

Just to check this point, is your concern that qualified engineers, parts/replacements or even the delivery of gas itself will become difficult over time? I personally can't see that happening for many decades, as a nation we're so hooked on it, and it'll need a very very significant change in pricing to really retrofit folks off it. If they're paying people to move off it, you might as well go with it now and take the cash incentive when it's offered. (Plus, there is still the slim possibility we'll see CO2 near-neutral gas someday and there'll be no need to do any of this) Obviously if you preference is driven by deeper ideological basis around this point then fair enough (and I'm with you). For low maintenance at a fixed (low) capital investment, and with an eye to minimizing emissions, I'd say put all the £ you can into upgrading insulation, airtightness, reducing the need for heating of any sort, and then go with the very best value for money combi boiler deal you can find. (As a landlord I found a system boiler a nightmare as our tenants couldn't understand a timer switch and had repeated emergency call outs to adjust it. We fitted a combi boiler and never had another issue) Just my 2p worth.

It will be fine assuming it is being kept dry and inside the fabric of the building. If it was exposed to the outside / rain etc then coating the visible surfaces with red oxide would be preferable

That is a tough decision. In days gone by without hesitation I would say storage heaters. That is a landlords friend, though a system few people actually like. Heat pumps work well, but they have "niggles" Mine has a habit of throwing a random error and needing resetting. They are slow to heat a tank of hot water. I would be uneasy with them in a rental as you would need someone who truly understands them on hand, and might get a lot of "no hot water" complaints? The real basic, simple (but not cheapest for bills) is electric panel heaters. Can't beat them for simplicity and understanding, and I see an increasing number of rentals switching from storage heaters to panel heaters. Would a 10kW shower satisfy the shower needs? if so you only need a small water heater for the basin and kitchen sink. Plenty of tenants manage on 8kW showers so a 10kW would be relative luxury.

Storage heaters, size them correctly and they will last decades. Assuming a good water pressure, then maybe an inline heater, if pressure/flow is bad, then storage and a pump/accumulator. If you can fit a vented system, then you have no certificates/annual checks needed. If you have hard water, then you will need to fit and maintain a water softener, can't rely on tenants to do that. Should be able to divert PV easily to the DHW system. Or ask a plumber and they will come along with a complicated and expensive system for you, maybe even a Sunamp.

Thanks for the reply. Can I emphasise that the most valuable thing is not the particular ideas, but that you take an active approach to find and learn *your* ideas that give you the closest version of your ideal within what you can afford. A huge amount of it is about taking the time to find the best specifics for you. Really, one aspect of what all the comments coming back should do is be stepping stones to your own unique solution, using the things identified, but also all other things you are now going to go out and find.

Gent spraying a house with my Wagner machine - which is perhaps more semi-pro than yours (new cost approx £700). Courtesy @Hecateh. This is running on very low power - it will generate a fan of paint as big as me, and goes up to 200 atmospheres iirc. https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/uploads/monthly_2018_09/DSCF1416_x264.mp4.fa93da2a2638879a4d3aa8b7e948aa0c.mp4

If you can it may be better to just drop the gubbins into the newly opened paint tin after you have stirred it for 20 minutes or however long. Opinions differ on that,

Pictures of my Norstone cladding

My one tip: only use each bucket once - any dried up paint from last time ie crunchy bits are the things that will block. My pattern is to use 5l tubs and ideally use up the whole one each time, then tip the alst bit of paint into the next tub. But the last job we did was about 3 coats on 350sqm of wall, not a bathroom ceiling. (And if you get too close the paint will bounce off).

The width of the spray is determined by the "key" or spraying tip you have. You need the right tip for the right paint/application

No thats stuff is OK, its got what they call Ecose Technology, low itch. So you avoid compressing the insulation, which will make it perform much worse, add some 25x50 (roofing battens) to the tops of the joists before you put the floorboards down. Cheap as chips, and it'll make sure the insulation performs to its best

Hi Peter not a clue when it was built! I found a newspaper beneath one of the board from the 1990s so I guess it's at least as old as that ? it is about 3m X 2m in size. The joists are 350 centres, and we only store a tent and some camping chairs up there. From what I can see there are 2 of the joists been cut where the opening was made. The two joists that have been cut have then had some kind of reinforcement put in, in the form of a few pieces of 6x2 connecting the cut joists and then also attached to the casing for the opening Hope that makes sense. Danny

Can you not insulate the one you have. Years ago the go to method was to put loft insulation on the back covered in a plastic sheet stapled to the back of the door. Just depends on how much you want to spend.

Hi. I had one made at Jupiter Blue (also for utility room as it happens). Can't recall the price, but it was reasonable.

12m, 2m of plain pipe then 10m of perforated pipe to the ditch.

Sieve your paint first! I am spraying soon and have always found that the internal in line paint filter just before the gun lasts alot longer if you sieve the paint beforehand. Took about an hour to do 60 litres the other day and it was well worth it with what I had in the sieve!!

@Marco Van Bowden, to either UVC or Sunamp why not fit waste water heat recovery (WWHR) and effectively half heat usage for showers? e.g. https://www.heatraesadia.com/products/renewables/waste-water-heat-recovery https://recoupwwhrs.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0Mb3BRCaARIsAPSNGpV3WsbaECDhy1CMA5wGDyN4nZj39Wa9nPqndlyVVdBFcZVs1QOa2nMaAq43EALw_wcB others are available

Nearly there! Just waiting for DIY Kitchens to come and fit the mechanism for cupboard doors on the oven unit.

You can just make it from timber and then paint it up to look very nice.

more thistle type of comment there than buttercup....

Well ! Glad I did a water test ! Initially you hold the gun over a bucket as you prime . Instructions say once the fluid comes out to stop and attach the nozzle . Needless to say I continued holding until the gentle stream turned into a Niagra falls under pressure ! . Just got a bit wet - if it had been paint then I would have painted the room I think in about 2 seconds in a rather uncontrolled manner !! Will run through the procedure once more . Surprised how wide the spray is ( against some ply as a test ) but can also see how even it is !!

have you been down to my trench ? slip coupler on order